Everyone says that they have the best brownie recipe. Literally everyone in the world. However, the fact is; they lie. Barefacedly. Because, in fact, I have the best brownie recipe in the world.
I don’t pretend any superiority with this statement. The fact it – the credit is not due to me, but to Nigella, my friend Katy and to Chance itself. Katy was cooking Nigella’s acclaimed Snow Flecked Brownies, commonly considered the second best brownies in the world, for some friends one evening. On putting in the salt for them, she slipped. Slipped and dropped a whole heaped teaspoon’s worth in of chunky, Maldon sea rock salt. Disastrous. But not so. We discovered that actually – they were amazing. Deep, intense, richer-than-Croesus chocolate, melting, melting onto your tongue, suddenly juxtaposed with a sharp zing of intense salt as a flake flicks. A veritable orgasm.
Doubters, go on and hate. But have a mouthful and you’ll soon be singing PRAISE to the Nigella Fortune salty gods. I’d like to think I’d get a mention too.
PS- make sure to use really good quality chocolate and it has to be good chunky sea salt too.
I don’t pretend any superiority with this statement. The fact it – the credit is not due to me, but to Nigella, my friend Katy and to Chance itself. Katy was cooking Nigella’s acclaimed Snow Flecked Brownies, commonly considered the second best brownies in the world, for some friends one evening. On putting in the salt for them, she slipped. Slipped and dropped a whole heaped teaspoon’s worth in of chunky, Maldon sea rock salt. Disastrous. But not so. We discovered that actually – they were amazing. Deep, intense, richer-than-Croesus chocolate, melting, melting onto your tongue, suddenly juxtaposed with a sharp zing of intense salt as a flake flicks. A veritable orgasm.
Doubters, go on and hate. But have a mouthful and you’ll soon be singing PRAISE to the Nigella Fortune salty gods. I’d like to think I’d get a mention too.
PS- make sure to use really good quality chocolate and it has to be good chunky sea salt too.
Recipe
Ingredients (makes about 16 brownies):
370g unsalted butter
370g good quality dark chocolate
6 eggs
340 caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
210g plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon of Maldon sea salt (or good quality sea salt flakes)
250g good quality white chocolate, chopped
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius and line the sides and base of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking tin with baking paper.
2. Set up a bain marie. This is a saucepan with a couple of inches of water boiling in it with a heat proof bowl set over the top. It allows you to melt things not using direct, too fierce heat. Put your butter and dark chocolate into the bowl and melt over low heat.
3. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together in a separate bowl until smooth.
4. Once your chocolate and butter has melted and cooled a little add gradually to the egg, sugar mixture and beat together. Fold in the flour and salt and then stir in the white chocolate chunks.
5. Stir to combine and pour into the baking tin. Bake for around 25 minutes, certainly no longer. When they are ready the top is a slightly paler brown ‘speckle’ and the middle should be dark, dense, gooey and almost raw. Keep checking on it – if they look ready before 25 minutes is reached, after about 18, take them out. Different ovens cook faster and the worst thing you can do with these brownies is over cook them! They turn dry in a matter of minutes and they’ll keep cooking in the pan anyway, even out of the oven, so don’t be afraid of them being underdone – you want them gooey!
6. Leave to cool for a while and serve while still warm, cut up into squares. Or you can leave to cool to room temperature. Either works, either is delicious.
Thanks Nigella, thank you Katy, thank you Fortuna.
Ingredients (makes about 16 brownies):
370g unsalted butter
370g good quality dark chocolate
6 eggs
340 caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
210g plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon of Maldon sea salt (or good quality sea salt flakes)
250g good quality white chocolate, chopped
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius and line the sides and base of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking tin with baking paper.
2. Set up a bain marie. This is a saucepan with a couple of inches of water boiling in it with a heat proof bowl set over the top. It allows you to melt things not using direct, too fierce heat. Put your butter and dark chocolate into the bowl and melt over low heat.
3. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together in a separate bowl until smooth.
4. Once your chocolate and butter has melted and cooled a little add gradually to the egg, sugar mixture and beat together. Fold in the flour and salt and then stir in the white chocolate chunks.
5. Stir to combine and pour into the baking tin. Bake for around 25 minutes, certainly no longer. When they are ready the top is a slightly paler brown ‘speckle’ and the middle should be dark, dense, gooey and almost raw. Keep checking on it – if they look ready before 25 minutes is reached, after about 18, take them out. Different ovens cook faster and the worst thing you can do with these brownies is over cook them! They turn dry in a matter of minutes and they’ll keep cooking in the pan anyway, even out of the oven, so don’t be afraid of them being underdone – you want them gooey!
6. Leave to cool for a while and serve while still warm, cut up into squares. Or you can leave to cool to room temperature. Either works, either is delicious.
Thanks Nigella, thank you Katy, thank you Fortuna.
